* Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) is expected to announce that he’s running for Cook County Board tomorrow. From a press release…

Long-time reformers Congressman Mike Quigley, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool, and State Representative John Fritchey will appear together tomorrow to make an important campaign announcement regarding the February 2010 Primary Election.

Fritchey is expected to run for Claypool’s seat. Claypool announced his retirement a couple of months ago.

* Speaking of the county board, a replacement has been named for Roberto Maldanado, who resigned for an appointment to the city council…

The Cook County board has a new commissioner [state trooper Edwin Reyes].

And his first act will be to vote with fellow commissioners Tuesday to override Todd Stroger’s veto of a sales tax rollback.

The way it looks now, Hoffman would have the best chance against Kirk, Giannoulias would have a harder time but likely get by. Jackson, should she manage a primary upset, could easily lose the general election.

The reasoning is that former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman has the reform chops. Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias would be hampered by his past. And Cheryle Jackson was Rod Blagojevich’s spokesperson.

That’s not unreasonable, but way too early. We still don’t know yet if Hoffman can do what it takes to win an election. He’s totally untested.

* Democratic Congressman Bill Foster is slammed in a new NRCC ad which ties him to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and an alleged “50 percent cut” to Medicare. Watch it…

[By the way, I’m now linking to videos because some people with mobile devices can’t see the embeds here. Hope this helps. Also, the new web design will hopefully be unveiled in a few weeks, so that may solve the problem.]

* Related…

* McCain endorses Kirk for Senate: “Mark Kirk will restore honest government to Illinois, strengthen our national security, fight for veterans and bring fiscal discipline to Washington,” McCain told a gathering of veterans in Glenview. He then appeared at a fund-raiser at a private home expected to net about $500,000.

* GOP far from settled on Senate nod: Caprio, who helped gather endorsers for the letter, said he’s been open about the fact that Hughes paid him $10,000 to help set up a citizens’ group to fight a proposed state income tax. Caprio also said he will be a consultant on the Hughes campaign. None of that detracts, of course, from his belief, he said, that Hughes has the energy and “the commitment to mainstream Republican values” that voters want.

* Will the immigrant story play in 2010?: Krishnamoorthi said he’s aware as he travels the state that he might have to respond to a heated cross-examination about how Illinois is outsourcing tech jobs to places like India. But he’s not worried about double-edged swords. He exudes a palpable American folksiness — just call him Raja, he says — that is the antithesis of foreign. “Despite what’s swirling in the greater immigration debate,” Krishnamoorthi said, “people still want to hear that it is possible to reaffirm the highest values of our country and attain the classic American dream.”

* Gov. Pat Quinn: “There’s a lot of ankle-biters out there running for office,” he said. “They’re going to tear me down, but I think the people of Illinois know I’m good and true when it comes to standing up for them.”

* Sen. Kirk Dillard seeks GOP nod for governor: “I want to announce to the world and the nation that Illinois is once again open to business, and I’m going to have the most aggressive job creation agenda that the state has ever seen. And among them is reaching out and knowing that any businessperson, whether it’s small business or large, like ConocoPhillips, can call the governor and talk about what their needs are, what problems they may have. I know the (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency) is a huge problem for places like ConocoPhillips, and we need to have somebody help cut through red tape, so we do not slow down the creation of jobs in Illinois.”

Wow, Rich…. here I thought that you were doing a good ripping into everybody, but apparently you’re nothing more than a radical leftist Madiganite. Also, according to one of the commenter over there, a traitor, too.

Cheryle Jackson’s Web site looks GREAT! Love the color scheme—it complements her very well. Other than that I find it interesting and sad that she does not have much to say on her Web site. But, that is only explains why she really should not have jumped into this race in the first place. It may give her higher name recognition and a higher profile after all is said and done, but so too would just simply working hard on Urban League issues.

Baby let me warn you away
Or thecapitolblogfax will have it’s way
Baby let me tell you the truth
If Communists played baseball,
This Miller is Babe Ruth!
Baby let me warn you now
His tricky lies won’t let you see
Baby your shirt better be brown
Like me, like me, like me, do me!

(Guitar solo)

Ooh he’s so funky and shady
Ultra-Liberals like it, like it, like it, like that,
On the SS Obama, he’s the First Matey!

Wouldn’t call you a hack or particularly liberal (though you’re more liberal than libertarian). I do think you have some “pro-system” bias: your critical at times but I think you believe this is still a representative form of government (in practice — clearly in theory it is) and don’t seem too outraged by the deep anti-democratic mechanisms that are in place. I suspect this is because you deal with these people personally and it’s hard to be bitter and/or confrontational at people you otherwise like.

Shouldn’t this guy Hoffman at least walk a precinct once before running for the US Senate? I had the same problem with Alexi. We grunts like candidates who work their way up, not skip over all of us and buy their way in at the top. Run for state rep or township trustee or something. Ring some doorbells. Win a few elections first before going all in for the big one.
Fritchey should be a prohibitive favorite for commissioner especially with the goo goos going all ga ga over him but with those roving bands of brie eaters up there you can never tell. Why he would want to be on the County Board is beyond me but to each his own.I hope he is looking forward to those 9 hour finance committee meetings. He should have a lot of time to twitter and blog after he wins. It should be a fun race for his successor in the House.
I’m still holding out hope that Rich Miller’s nemeses in the right wing will beat out Dillard. Otherwise Quinn/Hynes might be toast.

Fritchey is married and has kids…why travel all the way to Springfield in order to feel unecessary and ineffectual when you can do that right here in Cook County? Commuting to Springfield gets old fast…

===Fritchey should be a prohibitive favorite for commissioner===
Bill, I will give you Fritchey as a favorite but not prohibitive. Bridget Gainer has a lot of fight in her and will split a lot of that lakefront goo goo vote, if not actually take those areas. I have to overlay the district map with some of the city ward borders but that may be where Fritchey gets an edge with the old boys network. Depends on who’s turf that overlays with.

===Miller is a journalist like his hero Axelrod is a journalist. These guys are really sneaky. Totally below the radar sneaky…I bet they even go to the trouble of buying their suits at J.C. Penneys…trying look like regular guys.===

Rich, the proof is clearly in the pudding. Everyone knows only sneaky people buy suits at JC Penney. And you look like a regular guy. Therefore, you must have bought your suits there. Ipso facto, you are sneaky, and… oh no, I don’t have enough breadcrumbs to get home.

Sorry. Forget about my above comment about Bridget Gainer. I misread the press release. In my mind I thought it said Fritchey was running for Quigley’s old seat. Need to start slow reading these things.

Rich, are you going to take that from that wackjob Tom Swiss? That guy is an embarrassment even within a Cook GOP that was already embarrassing. Even the wackjobs think Swiss is too much of a wackjob.

One of his more recent clownish acts was to write that most of the African American GOP committeemen in Chicago are “traitors,” because according to Swiss they have sold out to the Democrats.

Swiss has the nerve to say that even though he’s the one who has himself tried to slate lifelong Democrats for vacant GOP spots on the ballot. Last time he tried to slate a former Democrat Alderman who had spent 3 yrs in prison because of Operation Silver Shovel.

But even that convicted felon realized he was getting involved with a bad crowd and dropped out on his own. True story.

In Swiss’ world there’s obviously a different standard for Black folks. Way to court that minority vote GOP.

====but I can’t remember the last time I bought something for myself from there.===
Haven’t been to a JC Penny’s in 20 years in Chicago. But I forgot to bring shirts and ties down for session once and, if I must say, I came out with some pretty dapper looking clothes from the Springfield store.

Makes me feel a bit paranoid. However, that could be attributed to the fact that I’ve been under the impression that we’ve been participating in nothing more than “civil discourse” here on CapFax–and now find out that Rich Miller might actually be (gulp) “a hippie”.

Now that I know, it should have been obvious all along that he’s been analyzing our postings to determine who’s over/under 30.

So many of us bloggers are doomed. No one will ever listen to, or trust, our opinions again–even if we can find another place to go.

So far Bridget is unopposed in her district and I hope it stays that way. She’ll work well with Reyes and Fritchey. She’s honest, hard working, and is a real breadth of fresh air. Forest(gump)Claypool’s most significant act as commissioner was to quit.Good riddance.

Late comment: Never heard of Tom Swiss,either, but was disturbed by the accusations of deletions of posts by both sides. Unless it is racial, totally personal, or a lie, I feel that posts should be allowed.
Also, have never understood what “profanity” in Rich’s terms of use includes. “Profanity” is specifically anti-religious to me; therefore the various references to body parts and functions (scatalogical?)would be okay…

Of course, in the end this is Rich’s blog, and he can do whatever he wants to…

Rich,
Is this Reyes guy related to Victor Reyes?
Actually Don Rose seems right, None of the Democratic US Senate candidates have reached out to the African-American or Hispanic communities like they should!

To the guy who said John McCain isn’t relevant: Mark Kirk added 1/2 a million to his war chest in one evening because of John McCain. That $$ will help Mr. Kirk present Alexi as the child of privilege, low talented, corrupt person that he is (If the Dems are dumb enough to nominate him). John McCain is certainly relevant.

Didn’t Tom Swiss leave a leadership role in the Cook GOP organization because he had to dedicate more time to making money to support his family?

What brought him back?

I’ll always remember Tom as the guy who told all those who were nominated to fill GOP ballot spots after the primary that everything was “under control” and he was holding all the nominating papers until the last minute for filing.

Some of us called him and asked him to file the nominations the day after the nomination was made. He told us he knew better, and to pretty much mind our own business.

It turns out that he was supposed to turn the paper work in within three days of the nomination being made.

Because he blew it, I believe over 30 candidates were taken off the ballot.

Maybe he should spend a little less time worrying about Rich’s political orientation and more time reading the election laws.

john mccain is able to raise money for kirk dillard because the republicans in this state are so repressed that they jump at the chance to donate money to such old dude hokey folks as john mccain and george bush. these are the same people who still pine for the days of ronald reagan. gag me, my friends, yuck yuck.

Personal attacks on Rich Miller = Apparently they got nada to work with. Last ditch totally partisan effort, kinda like shifting chairs on the deck of the Titanic!

Bye bye! (waving with a smile on my face)

As I am sitting here - thinking what would happen to me if people knew the stuff MY MOTHER does??? My Mom has a bumper sticker that reads “Save a child - shoot a drug dealer” OY! Just like Rich - control my Mom? Yeah! Me, God and what Army?

Hang in there Rich, you must be doing something right, err left. I’m confused. Hehe!

===========
dc, I only delete over the top stuff. That blog, on the other hand, will allow anything, much of it disgusting.
===========

I’ll second that. Rich will even allow mistakes we’ve written in instances where we completely missed the context stand sometimes, because he knows his readers and that we believe that “right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past”.

Rich rules with an iron fist but is also compassionate–and that’s what make this blog so popular.